Customer Reviews

Leading Out: Mountaineering Stories of Adventurous Women

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In a field of mountaineering books written by men, it is certainly refreshing to find a book that provides so many anecdotes of women excelling in both alpine and rock climbing. What's best, you get to hear from women throughout history, young and old, and climbing in large and small groups. The stories are inspiring both to women and men. I highly recommend this!

This book was great fun to read, full of interesting and exciting adventures. It turns out that the editor, Rachel da Silva, is leading a Women's Everest Base Camp and Khumbu Valley trek to Nepal in fall 2000, through Adventures in Good Company, an outdoor group based in Afton, Minnesota. I would love to go and write my own adventure book! In the meantime these stories have been perfect for the armchair climber or hiker.

As someone who's loved the mountains since she was little, I've just recently started exploring them as a grown-up. I've read much of the normal climbing literature, but this book with it's emphasis on female explorers and mountaineers really struck a chord with me. It's wonderful to read of women's long and accomplished history of mountaineering, especially with it's emphasis on climbing in the Pacific Northwest. Right now I'm stuck in the non-mountainous Midwest, but reading this book sends my spirit back to the mountains.

I think this book would be enjoyed by women new to rock climbing and mountaineering as well as seasoned climbers. It made me laugh and cry but more than anything it inspired me to accomplish the feats these women did. I grew up loving the outdoors but these stories gave me new personal goals. The women share stories filled with fear, accomplishment and the importance of the group as a means to an end. You also gain a sense of the writers personalities by their writing style which makes it fun to read.

great book, it came with a stain on the outside that I was not expecting

As a beginning alpine climber and a somewhat experienced rock climber, I found the anecdotes in this book to be inspirational. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you'll particularly appreciate the many local authors. Even if you aren't a climber, it's great to read about women's experiences in a very demanding sport.